Skinny House: Slim Your Space

Turn up the lightsDimming them makes you more apt to eat more, according to researchers at the University of California, Irvine. "People tend to underestimate the amount of food that they eat in the dark," food psychologist Brian Wansink adds. If you do decide to lower the lights, just preplate your food instead of eating family-style. This will help you limit your calories, he says.

Serve ice cream in a teacup

Youll save yourself hundreds of calories. In one of Wansinks experiments, people given 34-ounce bowls versus 17-ounce bowls served themselves 31% more ice cream without realizing it.

Hang the right artworkTry a fruit or vegetable still life. Heres why: Posters of healthy food in a dining room result in diners eating more fruit and vegetables and less meat, according to research from the Behavioral Sciences Division of the U.S. Army.

Reflect on thisDo hang a full-length mirror in the bedroom or bathroom. It lets you honestly assess your naked body when youre about to hop into the shower, says Peter Walsh, author of Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat? And you can gauge weight-loss progress by seeing how your clothes fit, celebrity diet chef Bethenny Frankel adds.

Don't hang a full-length mirror near fitness equipment. Women who exercise in front of a mirror feel less energized and less positive than women who exercise without a mirror, according to a study at Canadas McMaster University.